Man fires gun and kills himself at law firm that represented his ex-wife
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A gunman on Wednesday approached the office of a Virginia law firm that represented his ex-wife, firing his gun several times and then killing himself.
The gunman was identified as 52-year-old John Francis Wood of Vienna, Virginia, report WJLA and the Washington Post. The law firm, Maddox & Gerock, has an office on the fourth floor of the building in Fairfax County. No one else was injured in the incident.
A lawyer with the firm had represented Wood’s ex-wife, according to the Post. Court records show Wood was jailed for several weeks in May for failing to pay alimony.
Witness James Pickford told the Post he was getting off an elevator when he saw a glass door with an apparent bullet hole. A man sitting with his back to the door said he was a danger to himself, but not anyone else. As he turned back, Pickford said, he heard two shots.
WJLA spoke with former neighbors of Wood’s, who said he had a hostile relationship with his ex-wife. Wood earned a good income working in the financial sector at the time of his divorce and had sought to lower alimony payments when his financial circumstances changed, a neighbor said.
Neighbors also said Wood was facing serious medical issues, including a brain tumor.
Maddox & Gerock said on Facebook that it would be closed on Thursday.
“If you have seen the news tonight you will have some understanding of what our office endured this evening,” the law firm said. “We cannot comment further but all of our employees are safe and okay. Please hold us in your thoughts and prayers.”
